With the world in a global pandemic and lockdown, I have started venturing out of my usual playlist... here's what I've discovered so far:
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
This album had been recommended to me by many people and to begin with, I really wasn't sure what to make of it: I don't think I was fully prepared for the journey I was to embark on upon listening to it.
The album explores racism and depression through jazz, funk and hip-hop: an unlikely combination that works like magic. Personally, I feel as though the jazz influence puts a unique spin on hip-hop, creating a bridge between genres, thus making it appealing to a wider audience.
Lamar's expression of emotion builds a story along the way.
Throughout the album, a poem is revealed gradually, leading up to the full poem at the end: a story gets pieced together bit by bit, building a picture that creates a sense of empathy with Lamar.
I noticed a few turning points in the album, a particularly poignant one was the song 'i' where his attitude towards himself begins to change. I find it really interesting that the title is in lowercase as it could symbolise that he doesn't have the full respect for himself to capitalise the 'I', but it is a journey and he is progressing towards that.
The album concludes with Lamar 'talking to' 2Pac: snippets of interviews have been carefully edited to create the effect of a conversation between the two artists... a very powerful move given 2Pac's influence on Lamar and his politics.
Overall, I was surprised at how much I took away from the album, both in terms of emotional value and musical composition: the jazz and hip-hop combination works really well to produce an easy listening yet clear message through the music: one language that unites many people.
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